The Rain Has Stopped
by how you make the color blue
Summary: Prince Julian was fine with not having to lead a country. He always figured he would become a prince consort while his older brother, Liam, took the throne. But when Liam dies in a plane crash, Julian's world comes crashing down, and he doesn't have time to look for a wife while he's learning to rule-so his parents bring the girls to him. Selection SYOC
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, everybody! how you make the color blue here! For clarification, this will be a SYOC story (more at the end). I'd also like to apologize to the readers of my other story, _A Walk In Your Shoes,_ but it's on hiatus for now. If you're interested in finishing the story, please PM me! Anyway. Please read and review, and definitely look at the end note for the SYOC form. I'll try to update once a week. This is also a pretty short first chapter. They should be longer from now on.**

 **xo**

 **how you make the color blue**

Prince Julian didn't want to believe what his father was telling him. It couldn't be. Liam, his older brother Liam, the one who used to play pirates with him, the one who was supposed to be getting married in a couple of weeks, the one who was supposed to become king? No, it just couldn't be. Yet the tears streaming down his father's face and the way his mother's eyes were swollen told a different story. Liam had died in a plane crash on his way home from New Asia, where he was finalizing wedding plans with his fiancee. A freak accident, they said. There had been storms that night, but Liam had been so insistent on getting home to his family that he had decided to fly anyway. The plane had been blown off course and landed in the ocean. Liam was gone. Julian could feel tears tracing down his cheeks, and he felt Harper lean on his shoulder and simultaneously tug Giselle, who was bawling, snot running down her face as she wailed, onto her lap, as Valentina and Matthew cried silently on his other side. He pulled his eyes off the floor and looked at his father, who was looking back at him with a solemn expression. "Harper, Valentina, Matthew, and Giselle, you're excused. I suggest you go spend time together in Harper's room. You can have the maids bring you food." They stood up, looking grateful for the respite, and quickly left, Harper still holding Giselle. And now, Julian was left alone with his parents, who looked sadder than he could ever remember them being.

Julian fidgeted in his seat and chewed on one of his nails as he waited for his parents to start their talk with him. He could hear his tutor, Rose-Marie, in his head, telling him to sit up straight, but at this point, he figured he was entitled to a little slouching. Julian's father, King Lucas, or Luke, as he was known to many, shuffled some papers and cleared his throat before starting to speak. "Julian, we have something very important to discuss with you." _Oh, no._

"What is it?" Hopefully he could get this over with quickly. The board games his siblings were bound to be playing were calling to him. King Luke looked at his desk and cleared his throat again before dropping the bomb.

"In light of the...recent events," he paused for a moment, "You are now the heir to the throne." Julian's heart stopped. He hadn't even thought about it. But now that he was, the idea was becoming more and more repulsive with every passing second. He hadn't even realized he had gotten to his feet.

"Absolutely not!" The words exploded from him like a bullet shot from a gun. "My brother..." His voice cracked, and he tried again: "My brother died less than twenty-four hours ago, and you want me to just replace him? Everything he did in his life was in preparation for the throne! I have none of that knowledge, none of that experience, and you want me to just...what? Become the next king? Because I don't think that would go over too well. Oh, and sorry to break it to you, but I'd also need a wife to do that, and I'm not exactly in the mood to go courting random ladies." His chest heaved, and he felt tears pricking his eyes. His mother glanced at his father, and he cleared his throat (for the third time, Julian noticed with annoyance).

"Exactly, Julian. Your mother and I understand that you are not in the mood to go look for a wife. So, we propose," he stopped to take a deep breath, "That we hold a Selection." Julian hadn't realized it could get any worse. Apparently, it could.

"No!" he shouted. "No! I will not be the next king, and I will not have a Selection! Make Harper do it!" He saw his father's eyes flash, and he braced for a lecture on responsibility, but his mother stepped in. He had never been so grateful to her.

"Luke," she said, her voice quiet but hoarse, a sign of all the crying she must have done, "Let him go. We can talk to him later, but for now, let him go be with his siblings. They need each other." Julian stood up and left quickly, before they could change their minds. He figured his siblings were in Harper's room like they'd been told, and so that's where he headed.

When he opened the door, they were all on the ground watching The Lion King, Giselle's favorite movie. Bowls of popcorn, pretzels, and candy were beside them, along with platters of fruit. They looked up, and Valentina silently paused the movie. "Julian?" Harper asked. "Are you okay? What did mom and dad want to talk to you about?" Julian took a seat next to Valentina, and sighed.

"I'm the next heir to the throne, now that Liam is...you know." _Dead._ But it would hurt him too much to say that, because saying it would make it real. Matthew snorted, and Valentina lightly whacked him as Harper gasped. He cut her off before she could say anything, though. "It gets worse. I'm supposed to have a Selection to choose my wife." The room went dead silent, and then Valentina spoke.

"I don't think that's a terrible idea." Julian resisted the urge to smack her. Did she not get how serious this was? Apparently not, as now Harper was beaming too.

"I think that would be amazing! You know, that's how Grandma and Grandpa met." Harper was very close to their grandparents, and loved to retell the story of how they fell in love.

"You guys are missing the point!" Julian whined, not caring that he sounded like a five-year-old. "I don't want thirty-five girls in my house!" Giselle piped up for the first time.

"I do! I want more sisters!" Julian had to laugh at that. Giselle pouted, and Valentina spoke up again.

"You're outnumbered, Julian." She smirked. "We want you to have a Selection. All of us. Isn't that right, Matthew?" Matthew looked up, and Julian silently pleaded with him. Matthew's face slowly split into a broad grin, though, and he knew that Matthew wasn't going to do what he wanted. He enjoyed stirring things up too much.

"I, for one, would love to host a Selection." Julian flicked him in the back of the head, and he flinched. But Harper, Valentina, and Gisella all looked so happy, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.

"Fine," he relented. "But no promises, because I still need to talk to mom and dad, and if this happens, you have to help me." He was mainly talking to Harper, but Valentina and Matthew still nodded, and even Giselle looked interested. "Maybe you four can make up the Selection Committee."

"Oh! And maybe Daniel too," Harper piped in. "I'm sure he'd love to help." Julian smiled in spite of himself. Maybe things were looking up. After Julian phoned Daniel, who said he'd love to help and he'd be there as soon as possible, Harper took control, and Julian started forming a list of rules he would have for his parents if he was going to agree to the Selection.

"Firstly, I want to reserve the right to pass all final judgement on the eliminations."

"Done!" King Luke boomed. He and Queen Charlotte were both beaming.

"Secondly, all the castes will be included: not just six and up."

"Done!" boomed King Luke again.

"Thirdly, if I don't find someone that I truly want to spend the rest of my life with, I have the right to terminate the Selection."

"Done!" Julian had the feeling that his father would have agreed if he had said he only wanted girls with blond hair and blue eyes to compete. They just seemed so happy that he was actually doing it that they probably would have agreed to anything. "Julian?" His father's voice broke into his thoughts. "What do you think about drawing the names on September 1st? That gives us roughly four months to send out the applications and have girls fill them in. The chosen can arrive on October 1st."

"That's fine with me, Dad," Julian said. It had been a long day, and he was looking forward to going to bed. He still couldn't believe that less than twelve hours ago, he had found out about Liam's death, and now he was thinking about his own Selection. He could feel the sadness pushing against his chest, and so he quickly excused himself and retired to his room. However, Harper soon entered, followed by Valentina, Matthew, and Giselle, and told him that they needed company tonight. They had brought sleeping bags and pillows, and so they all squashed together on the floor like they used to when they were little, and tried to fall asleep. Julian had thought it would be hard, but in truth, it was easy. The craziness of the day knocked them all out almost immediately.

Julian slept terribly. Despite having fallen asleep remarkably quickly for being on the floor, his dreams were of his brother. He could still hear Liam's cries echoing in his head when he sat bolt upright. Fumbling for his phone, he grabbed it and looked at the time. 3:51 am. He seriously doubted he was going to be able to fall back asleep, and sighing, he propped himself up on one arm and shoved his phone under the covers, trying as best he could to hide the light from his siblings, who were still sleeping, until Giselle broke the silence with a loud wail. Curses were shouted and people fell over each other trying to see what was going on. Valentina got to her first, and cradled her in her arms.

"Giselle, baby, what is it?" she asked. Giselle sniffed. "Don't worry, you can tell us." A very disgruntled Harper finally found her glasses and made her way over, accidentally kicking Matthew in the face as she did. Giselle's breathing was becoming slower, but it was still ragged.

"I dreamed-" She stopped, and Julian felt his heart twist. She was only five years old. She shouldn't have to go through this. "I dreamed that it was my fault Liam was dead!" The end of her confession was marked with another round of sobbing. Julian saw Valentina and Matthew having a silent conversation over Giselle's head. Being twins, they often understood each other better than anyone else, and for the first time, Julian wished he had a twin-someone who he could talk to with just a single glance. He was jolted out of his thoughts when Harper stood up and flicked on the lights.

"Ahh!" Matthew shrieked, scrunching his eyes shut. "Turn it off!" Valentina looked like she was having the exact same thoughts, but it was hard to tell with her face buried in the blankets. Giselle blinked slowly and gripped her teddy bear, Mr. Fluffy, even tighter, and Julian resisted the urge to smash his head into the wall.

"Guys, nobody is going to be able to go back to sleep for a while. We might as well talk some more about the Selection," Harper said calmly, looking from Julian to Valentina, who had uncovered her face and was now lying on Giselle's sleeping bag and staring up at the ceiling. Surprisingly, Matthew was the first to agree.

"That's okay with me. I was having nightmares anyway," the eleven year old stated. Julian groaned, realizing that there was no way he was getting out of this. Giselle looked up in interest at the mention of the Selection, pushing her red curls behind her. She was the only one in the family with red hair-apparently she got it from her great-grandmother, America. Julian had blond hair, along with Valentina and Liam, and Harper and Matthew had light brown hair. He had always found it interesting that the twins looked nothing alike.

"I wanna talk about the Selection too!" Giselle piped, smiling. She seemed to have forgotten all about her bad dream, and Julian found himself wishing he could forget like that too. _But you don't,_ the voice inside of him chided. _You have all your memories of him. Giselle will grow up never knowing what her oldest brother was like._

"Julian, can I help set up activities?" Valentina asked. Matthew nodded.

"I will, too! I want to have them play sports!" Julian chuckled.

"All right, buddy. You can set up sports, but you have to get Harper's approval, all right?" Matthew nodded.

"What can I do?" Giselle asked. Julian stopped. What could she do, that she could do well AND she would like? Then he had an idea.

"Giselle, honey, how would you like to draw the names on live television?" Giselle looked confused, so he elaborated further. "There's going to be one girl from each province selected. All the names for each province will be in a glass bowl, and you can pick them, alright?" Giselle beamed.

"Yes! Yes, I can do that!" Julian smiled.

"Then it's settled. You'll pick the names, and then you'll get to meet all of them." Harper's eyebrows suddenly drew together.

"What?" Julian asked. Did she want to pick the names? He couldn't imagine that she would be upset about him allocating the job to Giselle, but if she was, then she could draw some too.

"It's just-" She stopped.

"What?" Julian asked curiously.

"Never mind." She looked down. "It's stupid."

"No, go on," he encouraged.

"Just- what if we don't like the girl you pick? Will you still marry her?" Julian had to smile at that.

"Don't worry, Harper. Family comes first. If you don't like someone, I won't marry her." Harper released a breath he hadn't realized she had been holding.

"Good." There was a pause before Matthew spoke up.

"What time is it?" Julian checked his phone and realized it was already 5:30. That was fast. He held it up so Matthew could see it.

"And guess what? Daniel's coming tomorrow, and he's staying until the Selection starts!" Julian honestly couldn't have been more excited. The last time he had seen Daniel had been four months ago, and he could truly say he'd never had more fun. Harper yawned.

"Should we get dressed? Julian, your days are going to be packed, and it's best to get an early start." Julian grimaced, but nodded. Harper picked up Giselle and left with her, and Valentina and Matthew were close behind. His room was once again empty, and Julian finally allowed himself to admit that he was, just maybe, a tiny bit excited for his Selection.

 **Ok, everybody! I hope you liked that first chapter at least a little. Here are the rules for character submission:**

 **1\. You may submit as many characters as you like. Please understand that I might not accept them all.**

 **2\. I might not use your character, especially if you don't give me very much detail. I'm sorry about this.**

 **3\. I reserve the right to change aspects of the character. I will try to keep it mostly the same but please don't feel offended if you say your character is allergic to dogs but in the story I say they're allergic to cats-it might just fit better with the storyline.**

 **4\. Please be as detailed as possible! There's no such thing as too much detail- I want to know everything about your character!**

 **5\. No America or Eadlyn copies. Those will not be accepted. Please create an original character, and I want all types of girls! They shouldn't all have blond hair and blue eyes and be shy. I want loud girls, funny girls, mean girls, minority girls, low caste girls, etc.**

 **6\. You may put the province you want your girl to come from down, but you might not get it if other people request it too.**

 **7\. Please don't be disappointed if your girl is eliminated early. You might have created a fabulous character that just didn't mesh well with the prince.**

 **8\. Keep reading! Even if your character doesn't show up in the first couple of chapters, they'll definitely show up later. I will never just eliminate a girl without mentioning it.**

 **9\. Have fun, and be creative! I can't wait to see what you come up with!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, everybody! I'm so glad to see that people have already submitted characters, and I've loved looking through them. Please continue to submit-there are lots of places left. I'm hoping to have all the characters in by next week-that would be ideal. Chapter 3 is currently in the works. Hopefully it'll be out soon. Read and review, and remember, if you like the story, the best gift you can give me is a well-thought-out character!**

 **xoxo**

 **how you make the color blue**

Julian definitely took back the part about being excited for his Selection. It had been less than twenty-four hours since he had agreed to it, and everybody was acting like the girls were coming tomorrow.

"Sir, what color do you think the girls would like their room painted?" one of the palace maids, Ariel, questioned. Julian sighed. He had no idea.

"I'm not sure, but I know Valentina would love to help with this," he said. His artsy younger sister would no doubt do an amazing job of decorating the Selected's rooms, and he was sure they would all love them. Ariel curtsied and walked away. Julian sighed and turned to leave-until one of his favorite butlers, Sheldon, stopped him.

"Pardon me, Your Highness, but we need to talk about what we should put in a recreational room for the women." Julian internally groaned.

"Of course, Sheldon. Please, show me the room, and I'd be happy to share my thoughts with you. And, for the last time, you can call me Julian." He followed Sheldon to the large, albeit bare, room.

"Maybe some board games?" he suggested. "They might like those. And we should probably get couches and comfortable chairs as well. They'll be free to use our athletic facilities and the library, but maybe we could stock a cabinet with drinks and snacks?" Sheldon was scribbling down his suggestions on a notepad.

"Your Highness-"

"Julian, Sheldon. Julian."

"Julian- do you think having art supplies would be a good idea?" Julian smacked his forehead.

"That's a great idea, Sheldon. I should have thought of that." Sheldon nodded and made another note.

"Well, _Julian,_ I think that's all we need. Thank you for your input." Julian nodded and Sheldon bowed before walking in the other direction. After a quick lunch, he had to get straight back to lessons, except this time they were intense, designed to teach him all he needed to know to become king. Today they were focusing on etiquette.

"Remember, Julian, keep your hands by your sides. Don't put them in your pockets, it makes you appear rude," his tutor, Annalena, said. Julian nodded absentmindedly. "And under no circumstances should your fingers ever be in your mouth!" The last part was shouted to get his attention, and he quickly pulled the finger he had been chewing on out from between his teeth. He liked Annalena, he really did-it was just that this was so BORING, and they had been reviewing it for over two hours. He was saved when Sheldon entered.

"Your Hig- Julian, you have a visitor here to see you." _Daniel._ Julian was out of his seat and running down the hallway in a flash. He didn't stop until he got to the palace entrance, and there he was. In the flesh. He was taller than Julian remembered, and his hair, usually sandy, had lightened to blond, while his blue eyes sparkled. He was a year younger than Julian, but that hadn't stopped them from becoming best friends. Their mothers had become friends during their Selection, and they had continued to keep in touch even after it was over, and that's how Julian had met Daniel, while they were still in diapers. Daniel grinned widely.

"There's my best friend!" They reached each other and hugged, and Daniel dropped his voice. "How are you holding up? Is there anything I can do?" His eyes were full of concern, and Julian felt a rush of love towards him. It was true they were brothers in everything but blood, and he didn't doubt that Daniel would do anything for him. For the first time, he felt himself relax a little.

"I'm fine," he muttered. "Just a little stressed." Daniel nodded and stepped back, and Julian's other siblings burst in to say hello. He fist-bumped Matthew, gave Valentina a hug, picked up Giselle and spun her around, and hugged Harper and kissed her cheek. Julian had always loved how well Daniel meshed with their family. It was like he was born to be there.

"Come on, Daniel," Julian said, heading his room. "You can borrow one of my swimsuits, and then we can hit the pool."

"Sounds good to me. Can I borrow your Speedo?" he asked, eyes gleaming. Julian swatted him in the head.

"You said you weren't going to mention that to anybody, you ass!"

"Sorry," chuckled Daniel. "I couldn't help it."

"Can I join you?" The question had come from Harper, which Julian thought was a little weird, seeing as she didn't even really like the pool.

"Of course you can!" Daniel said, winking at her. Harper smiled and turned the corner to her room. It gave Julian a weird feeling, but he decided to shake it off. The important thing was that Daniel was finally here.

"Marco!" Daniel called.

"Polo!" replied Julian and Harper, from opposite ends of the pool. Daniel considered for a second, and then turned and began swimming towards Julian, who tried to get away as silently as possible, but not quickly enough, as Daniel reached out and tagged him.

"You're it!" he called triumphantly. Julian sighed playfully, punching him in the arm and swimming to home base. Before he could start counting, though, Queen Charlotte waved him over.

"I'd better go see what Mom wants." He climbed out of the pool, grabbed his towel, and started walking towards her. Behind him, Harper and Daniel started messing around on one of the inflatable rafts they had put in the pool.

"Yes, Mom?" he asked, once he had gotten within speaking range.

"Your father wants to see you. You're going on live television tonight to speak about your Selection, and you need to practice what you're going to say." Julian groaned. He hated speaking, knowing everyone else was watching.

"Do I have to? Can't Dad just talk about it instead?"

"Julian, the whole country wants your input. Plus, the girls aren't going to come if you don't seem interested. This is a good start to showing everybody that you're ready for the responsibility of being king."

"Fine. Now?" His mom nodded.

"Shower and put some regular clothes on, and then yes, go see him."

"Even though Daniel just got here and I haven't seen him in ages?"

"Julian Maxon Kile Luke Schreave-" Uh-oh. He knew he was in trouble when his mom used his full name. "Being king means that you can't always do whatever you want." He heaved a sigh.

"Fine. I'm going."

"Thank you, Julian." Queen Charlotte walked away, satisfied. He turned back to the pool just in time to see Daniel flip the raft with Harper on it over. She spluttered indignantly and spit strands of hair out of her mouth as she swam to the surface.

"Hey, Daniel-you want to go on television with the royal family tonight?" Daniel shrugged.

"Sure. It's been a long time since I've done that."

"Well, there's a reason for that," Harper informed them. "Last time you and Julian only made animal sounds whenever you were asked a question." Julian laughed.

"Oh, yeah. I remember that." He vaguely remembered the TV host, Michael, asking what he had been doing this week, only to be answered with a moo from Daniel and a neigh from Julian. Daniel seemed to be recalling the same thing.

"Well, don't worry, Harper. This time, our lovely prince here-" he reached out and ruffled Julian's hair- "has to impress all the lovely ladies with his speech, since his looks won't do that for him." Julian groaned and pushed him back in the pool, turning to leave.

"See you guys later. Dinner at six, and then airtime at seven. That means latest, you should be out of the pool at 5:00, which is in thirty minutes." Harper and Daniel nodded, and Julian walked back to his room. When he got there, his butler, Noah, was waiting for him.

"Why don't you get in the shower, Julian?" he said. "I've set out an outfit for you."

"Why do I have to wear this?" Julian asked. He hated starched shirts and ties.

"Are you trying to impress the ladies or not?" Noah asked, but there was a smile on his face. Apart from Daniel and his siblings, Noah was the closest thing he had to a friend- and an older brother now. Julian clutched his chest in mock pain.

"Your words wound me, Noah."

"Not as much as the empty baskets for Selection forms will." Julian flipped him off before stepping into his bathroom and taking a quick shower. "Head straight to your father's study," Noah said. "You'll have a quick meeting with him, and then eat dinner." Julian sighed, but set off at a brisk walk anyway.

"You wanted to see me, Dad?" Julian was sitting opposite his father, who was going through some papers.

"I did, actually. You're going to be asked some questions about the Selection, and I just wanted to make sure you were prepared."

"Don't worry. I can't imagine Michael will throw anything too difficult at me."

"Well, if you're sure, then you can go, I guess."

"Thanks, Dad. By the way, is it okay if Daniel is on air too? He makes me feel less nervous." His dad smiled.

"Of course that's okay. You don't even have to ask."

"Thanks. I'll be there at 6:30 to get set up."

"Bye, Julian. Hey, make sure you eat something, alright?"

"Of course. See you soon." Julian practically ran to the dining room. He could hear his stomach calling for a nice juicy steak, which it soon got. After swallowing his last bite, he headed to the media room, where chairs were already set up on stage, and he could see his mom getting her makeup retouched.

"Hey! Julian!" He looked over at the sound of Daniel's voice. "Are you ready?"

"No," he groaned, trying to block the thoughts of everyone watching him out.

"Come on, what could go wrong?" Daniel gave him a winning smile. "All you have to do is talk about girls. It can't be that hard." Julian ignored him. "Hey, it's okay," Daniel said, his voice quieter. "I'll be there the whole time."

"I just hate talking in front of people. And what if I say something stupid about the Selection-then that's how all the girls are going to view me coming in."

"Relax. Even if you mess up now, and some of the girls come in hating you, you'll just prove to them that you're different. But that's not going to happen- because they're all going to love you."

"Thanks, Daniel."

"Anytime. Remember- we're brothers. We have each other's backs." They sat in silence, waiting for it to start. Finally, Michael showed up, and the cameras started rolling.

"Aaaand...welcome back to your daily dosage of Royally Done!" Julian couldn't help rolling his eyes slightly. He hated the show's name. Honestly. Royally Done? It was so dumb. He was changing it as soon as he became king. "This time, we're excited to announce something very special!" Michael briefly spoke about how tragic the death of Liam was, before moving on to the big news. The Selection. "So, ladies, listen up, because something very special is about to happen. Prince Julian is having a Selection!" The cameras panned to Julian, who managed to smile, although he figured it probably looked really strained. "And, as per demand by the prince himself-all the castes are going to be included! Application forms will be coming around to every household. Please submit them by August 15th, and the names will be drawn on September 1st. Good luck!" And now it was time for Julian's least favorite part-the part where he had to talk. "So, tell me, Julian, how are you feeling about this Selection?"

"I'm excited. I think including all the castes for the first time should yield some interesting results, and I'm really looking forward to getting to know the girls."

"That's wonderful! I'm sure the girls are excited to meet you too! Now, have you already started preparations for them?" Good. An easy question, with no tricks.

"We have. My younger sister, Valentina, is in charge of the Selected's rooms, and I know she'll do a wonderful job. I've also been trying to set up a recreational room-with help from Harper." He gave her a pointed glance, and she nodded.

"My brother has shown, through the attempt to design this room, that he knows nothing about what girls like. I can only hope the Selected will be patient with him." Michael laughed.

"Hopefully so. And this is Daniel, correct? Are you here for the entire Selection process?"

"I don't know yet. Probably not- I wouldn't want all the girls to swarm me instead of Julian." Julian punched him in the arm, laughing. Daniel did ease the tension well.

"And Julian-one last question before we go. What are you looking for in a future wife?" Julian froze. He was not prepared for that question. But everybody was looking at him now, and he realized he had to give an answer.

"Um, I don't know. Uh, funny, I guess, and willing to challenge me? Somebody who loves me for me, I guess?" It sounded stupid coming out of his mouth, and he wished he hadn't added in the last part.

"Well, ladies, did you hear that? Prince Julian wants somebody with a sense of humor. Who thinks they can give that to him?" Julian wanted nothing more than to crawl out of sight, but he stayed in his seat until he heard Michael say, "See you tomorrow, with a report from the King," and the red light on the cameras that meant 'recording' blinked off. Julian exhaled and walked off. Daniel took the guest room that he always stayed in, and Julian went to his own room, but had trouble falling asleep. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was Liam, and he wondered if it would ever stop.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! New chapter here! Hope you enjoy. Reviews make my day, so leave one if you like it :) Also, next chapter will be the Selected being chosen, but I still need more character submissions, so please, please, please submit one! I love to hear from you, and the girls submitted so far have been wonderful. Thank you to everyone who's submitted. Until next time!**

 **xoxo**

 **how you make the color blue**

It was half past four, and Julian and Daniel were currently poring over lists upon lists of special events to host while the Selected were there. Julian had long since decided that if he was going to have fun while the girls were here, then he would have to pick things he would like too. So far, with Daniel's input, they had decided on a pool party and a field day, and were now trying to pick a theme for a dance.

"What about Winter Wonderland?" Daniel asked. Julian shook his head.

"Too cheesy. That's, like, the most basic theme ever."

"Fine, Mr. Picky," Daniel said, elbowing him. "How about a costume party?"

"I don't like to get dressed up," Julian said. Daniel sighed extremely theatrically.

"What are we going to do with you? You don't like anything!" There was a knock, before Harper poked her head in the room.

"What are you guys doing? I was wondering if you wanted to play a game or something?"

"Well, Harper," Daniel smiled at her, "We're actually trying to come up with a theme for the dance we're going to have while the Selected are here, but your brother is being a complete asshole about the whole thing." Harper smirked.

"That's pretty common, actually. But I might be able to help. A dance, you said?" Julian nodded vigorously. "How about Winter Wonderland?"

"See, that's what I said!" Daniel cried, leaning over to fist-bump Harper. She grinned.

"Great minds think alike." Julian sighed.

"You guys! We're not doing a Winter Wonderland theme, and that's final!" Harper and Daniel both looked at each other with identical expressions of "are you kidding me" on their faces. They sat in silence for a few seconds before Harper piped up again.

"What if you did a masquerade ball?" Julian was about to say no automatically, when he realized that actually, that wasn't such a bad idea.

"I like it," Daniel piped in. "That's a cool idea, Harper." Julian shrugged.

"Sounds good to me, but Harper, you're going to have to help with the planning, because I have no idea how to throw one of these." Harper snickered, before standing up to go.

"Don't worry, big brother. I like planning stuff." She flicked her caramel hair behind her shoulder as she walked out the door, and Julian noticed something flicker over Daniel's face, but then he blinked and it was gone. Well. That was weird.

"Julian, man, are we ever going to take a break?"

"Not until we finish going through this stack of papers."

"But we've been at it forever."

"Well, forever is going to be a little longer."

"But Harper said we could play a game with her."

"Is the game called side with her every time she opens her mouth?"

"Julian." Daniel's eyes were boring into him. "What the hell is going on?" Julian debated lying. He could say he was tired, or he missed Liam, or that he was in a fight with his parents.

"I'm scared." There it was. The truth. Daniel looked steadily at him, and for a second, Julian felt like the younger one.

"Of course you are. Fear is human. But you're going to get through your Selection. I promise. And I'm going to be here the whole time." Julian couldn't help but feel slightly more reassured.

"You mean it?"

"Of course."

"Thanks, Daniel."

"You can thank me by putting down your papers and coming to get a snack with me."

"I'm not that grateful."

"I'm about to leave." At which point Harper walked back in and Daniel sat back down.

"Hey, guys. I'm hiding from Rose-Marie." Julian groaned. He knew his sister had a penchant for stirring things up, and he really didn't want to know what she'd done this time. Daniel, however, seemed interested, leaning forward and resting the side of his face on his hand.

"What did you do?" Harper's eyes twinkled.

"I might have added the chemical mixture from my Science class to her shampoo. How was I supposed to know it was going to turn her hair orange?" Daniel snorted.

"Maybe because you were the one who did the experiment?"

"So maybe I did know what was going to happen. She needs to loosen up a bit anyway." Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she busted out laughing, and Daniel joined in. Julian just sat there shaking his head. Sometimes he worried about their mental health.

"Guys, seriously, can we please go watch a movie?" Harper asked, regaining her breath. Julian sighed.

"As long as it's not How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days," he conceded. "I hate that movie."

"Kate Hudson is hot, though," Daniel pointed out.

"I don't care. We're not watching it. You can jack off to her later." Daniel smacked him in the back of the head.

"We're watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and that's final," Harper said. "Let's go. You need to stop obsessing over the Selection. The girls are coming for you. If anything, they should be nervous." Julian highly doubted that they would continue to like him once they met him in person, but he shrugged and started off towards the movie theater anyway.

"So, Julian, are you ready to meet your future wife?" his dad asked at dinner. Giselle immediately started bouncing up and down and clapping her hands.

"I am! I am! When do I get to pick the names, Daddy?"

"In two weeks, Princess." King Luke smiled fondly at her.

"I can't wait! I get to pick the girls who are coming!"

"Well, technically, you just pick them out of a glass bowl. You don't get to read all the names and select one," Julian pointed out.

"Still!" Evidently nothing was going to stop Giselle. As ice cream was brought out, Julian realized that he hadn't gotten to spend as much time with Daniel as he would've liked. He glanced over to see Daniel stealing bites of Harper's ice cream as she smacked him. An odd feeling settled in his chest as he watched them, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what.


	4. Chapter 4

**You guys, I am so so so sorry for making you wait this long. I'm not even sure if anyone is still reading this, but any reviews are appreciated! I've honestly had this chapter written for so long, but just couldn't find the time. I'll try and upload another chapter soon, but I am really busy, so no promises. Hope you enjoy this one- the story is starting to kick off.**

 **love,**

 **how you make the color blue**

Julian straightened his tie- again. "Stop fussing," Harper commented. "You look fine." It was easy for her to say, Julian thought. She looked good no matter what she wore. He wanted to tell her that, but was too afraid that if he opened his mouth, all that would come out was a stream of vomit.

"You do look good," Daniel said.

"Good isn't enough! I'm picking the names, on national television, today!" Julian could feel himself becoming slightly hysterical.

"Well, technically, Giselle is picking the names," Daniel pointed out, extremely unhelpfully.

"Ten minutes to airtime!" King Luke boomed as he strode over to them, clapping Julian on the shoulder. "How are you feeling, buddy?"

"Terrible." King Luke smiled.

"You'll be all right. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find your mother."

"Why did I ever agree to do this?" Julian whimpered.

"Come on, Julian," Harper said. "It's not like you even have to do anything but sit there and not make a face if one of the girls is ugly."

"I'm going to die. Or worse, some girl is going to have a really unfortunate name and I'm going to laugh at them in front of a billion people."

"There aren't even close to a billion people watching," Harper muttered. Julian could feel his patience wearing thin.

"You know what, Harper? I'm really nervous, and I don't want to hear any more of your comments." Harper pursed her lips and walked away without another word. Julian groaned.

"Five minutes to airtime!" This had come from Giselle, who was wearing an adorable blue dress and bouncing around. She spotted Julian and practically sprinted over to him.

"Julian! Julian! I'm so excited! Aren't you? I'm going to pick the names and then they're going to come here and then I'm going to have 35 new sisters and then you're going to marry one and we're all going to live happily ever after!"

"That's the plan, Giselle. Who did your hair?"

"Valentina! She said my hair would look really pretty in two dutch braids."

"She was right, and she did a great job."

"Places, everybody!" King Luke's voice cut through the air. Julian wanted to puke. But he forced himself to stride over to the chair he'd be sitting in. Giselle ran after him. Once everyone was settled, the little red light that meant they were live blinked on, and the Selection began. Julian tuned Michael out as he talked and talked, and then, before he was ready (would he ever be ready?) he heard the words he had been dreading.

"And now, our own princess, Giselle, will pick the names!" Giselle beamed and waved as she climbed up onto the stool that had been placed there especially for her, and jammed her small hand into the fishbowl holding the first province. Allens. She pulled out a slip of paper and looked at the name. Despite only being five, she could read quite well, and Julian was happy he'd let her pick the names.

"From Allens, I give you Krista Sandoval, Caste 4!" Giselle squealed. She wasn't nervous-she was loving the attention. Julian wished he could feel that way. He turned his head to look at her picture. Krista seemed to be a pleasant-looking girl, with deep brown eyes and a gigantic smile. There was applause, and Julian did his best to keep a smile on his face. Giselle moved right on to the next fishbowl.

"From Angeles, Drew Butler, Caste 3!" A blue-eyed girl with a white-blond pixie cut appeared.

"From Atlin, Jackie Shaw, Caste 3!" A dark-skinned girl with the whitest teeth Julian had ever seen popped up. After that, the names went by fairly fast. He did his best to remember names and faces, but he knew he was going to have to do some serious studying.

"From Belcourt, Evelyn Lovelace, Caste 3!" A flash of blond hair and green eyes, and they were moving on to the next girl.

"From Clermont, Star Willow, Caste 6!" Curly dark hair.

"From Columbia, Sabina Amulet, Caste 4!" Gigantic brown eyes. Julian was getting dizzy watching the names and faces pop up and then disappear.

"From Dakota, Harmony Adams, Caste 5!"

"From Kent, Adelina Price, Caste 7!" Julian saw some of the older dukes and duchesses looking at each other. He knew it was going to cause a stir to have people from such low castes here.

"From Labrador, Cosette Rhimes, Caste 3!"

"From Paloma, Persephone Ainsley, Caste 2!" Julian had heard of the last name but didn't recognize the face that popped up. He also noticed that she didn't seem to be smiling, unlike the other girls.

"From Waverly, Argentina Killana, Caste 2!" A very familiar face popped up on screen. Julian had heard of her music- everyone had. He was shocked she would apply for the Selection.

"From Whites, Tazlina Petrov, Caste 7!" A girl with two Dutch braids appeared. And with Zuni (Brooke Lombard, Caste 5!), they were done. Michael wrapped up, the light went off, and Julian slumped over, completely exhausted. Giselle skipped away, still a ball of energy even after everything.

"Good job!" Harper said, patting him on the back. "Don't worry, you still have a month before the girls get here."

That month ended up going by far quicker than Julian would have liked.

September 1st saw Julian sitting on his bed as the clock ticked ever nearer to 6 o'clock, where he would have to go downstairs, and during a casual buffet dinner, meet all the girls. Daniel was sitting next to him, fidgeting with his fingers.

"Listen, mate-" Daniel had spent one summer in Britain and still retained that one slang word, which he used all the time- "It's going to be fine. None of the girls are going to attack you. I'll be right there, and all you have to do is make small talk with them."

"What am I supposed to say?" Julian moaned.

"Just ask them what their favorite color is or something." Despite himself, Julian laughed.

"Daniel, I can't ask 35 different girls what their favorite colors are."

"Fine. I'm sure there'll be at least a couple that you hit it off with, though."

"I hope so." Julian was already starting to sweat, and he could feel it trickling down his neck. Gross.

"It's ten to five, Julian. I'm going to go find Harper. Put on your suit coat and meet us downstairs." Julian nodded. Words failed him. Daniel saluted before he disappeared out the door. The ten minutes flew by much too fast, and Julian was walking down the marble staircase far sooner than he would have liked. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, he pushed open the door.

And walked into a sea of noise and color. Girls in dresses every color of the rainbow scurried around. Several were chatting to each other, but the noise slowly died down as they realized the prince was standing there. "Um." Julian tried, already feeling like an idiot. "Hello. I'm Prince Julian, but you can call me Julian." _You sound like an idiot. I wouldn't be surprised if they all left._ "I'm going to try to meet all of you tonight. If I'm not talking to you, please feel free to eat or mingle with the other girls. Thank you." He exhaled and made his way over to Daniel and Harper.

"That sounded pretty good!" Harper said. "A little nervous at first...but it got better." Her trademark smirk played over her features.

"Ready to mingle?" Daniel asked.

"I don't think I'll ever be, but better sooner than later, right?" Julian said. "Right." He squared his shoulders. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck!" Harper yelled as he walked off. Julian's eye caught on two girls talking to each other, and he decided to go over there first. One of them had red hair in a bob, and he remembered her- Natasha Garner from Midston. The other one had long, wavy black hair, and he couldn't place her.

"Hello," he said to the two girls, who immediately swept into curtsies when they saw him. "How are you?"

"I'm good!" the black-haired girl said immediately, her eyes shining. "And how are you? You must be a little nervous." Julian grinned despite himself. He really wished he could remember her name now. By some stroke of luck, though, she introduced herself first: "I'm Hallie, from Sumner."

"Nice to meet you, Hallie," he said, instantly feeling more at ease. Natasha had slunk away after the initial hello, leaving Hallie alone. "So...what's your favorite color?" He internally facepalmed and cursed Daniel for ever giving him that idea. Luckily, Hallie didn't seem to mind.

"Red. What about you?"

"Definitely purple. Why do you like red?" Hallie turned innocent eyes to him.

"Because it's the color of the flowers you're going to bring me when we go on our first date." Julian's mouth hung open for a second before he closed it with a snap. And then he bent over and began to laugh. He had not expected to enjoy himself so much tonight.

"I'll remember that. Unfortunately-" and he really did mean it- "I have to go attend to the other girls. I hope to speak with you more later." Hallie didn't look upset at all.

"Of course! Have fun!" Julian grinned as he walked away. Hopefully all the girls would be like that. However, the next four girls he talked to were not memorable. Julian figured he could cross all of them off his list. He finally saw a girl he remembered the name of- Adeline, and he made his way over to her. She was wearing heels that put her at only a couple of inches shorter than him, and she looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Hi. How are you?" She jumped and turned to him, blushing slightly.

"Good." Julian internally groaned. He hated when people couldn't carry on a conversation.

"Are you finding everything?"

"Yes."

"Well, I hope to speak with you more, Adeline. Have a wonderful night."

"Thank you. Good luck speaking to all the other girls- I know it's tough for you to have to talk to all of us." Julian sighed.

"Thank you." She nodded, and Julian kept going, skipping Argentina, who was surrounded by a throng of at least eight girls and wearing a dress that did not look appropriate for a dinner in the palace. All of a sudden, there was a loud crash, and Julian turned around to see a smallish girl with blond hair in a bob pick herself up off the ground. There was another girl- Drew, he remembered, standing over her, but not making any move to help her up. He immediately made his way over there.

"Lady..."

"Sabina," she said, beaming at him.

"Are you hurt?"

"Nope! I was just showing Drew my double backflip, and I slipped on the floor. It's hard to stick a landing in these heels! Mind if I take them off?" And to Julian's utter astonishment, she proceeded to pull her dark blue pumps off, leaving her barefoot.

"Um, Lady Sabina..."

"Just Sab, please. Sabina sounds so stuffy."

"Sabina-Sab, are you sure you want to take your shoes off?"

"Yeah! It's not a big deal. My dress covers my feet anyway. How are you?" She was talking to him like they'd known each other forever.

"Um, I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm amazing! Your palace is so nice! Hey, do you want to see my backflip? I'm sure I can stick it without heels." Julian was finding it hard to keep up with her rapid train of thought.

"Oh, no thanks, Sab."

"Okay!" Her smile was as bright as ever. "I won't keep you! Go mingle with the other girls!" Julian smiled at her and retraced his steps through the room. Ah, another face he recognized- Star Willow. Her hair was curling down the back of the bright red dress she was wearing.

"Hello, Lady Star," he said. She turned to him and gasped in delight.

"Your Highness! Such a pleasure!" Her voice was lilting, nothing like what he had expected.

"Is everything to your standards?"

"It's so much more than I ever could have asked for," she gushed. She seemed so sincere that Julian couldn't help but smile.

"It was nice to talk to you, Lady Star."

"Oh- do you mind calling me Lillian?" She blushed as she made this request.

"Not at all, Lillian." He gave her one last smile and backed away. His eye caught on a tiny girl with wavy, blond hair in a ballerina bun, drinking a glass of wine. As he watched her, she downed the glass and reached for another one. He shook his head to himself, deciding to mention that to someone later.

Julian had met several more girls by the time the night was over, including Argentina, who was actually very nice despite her reputation. He sighed as he walked down the hall, loosening his tie. He was so tired, and he couldn't wait to fall into bed and sleep for a year, but before he got there, the girl he had seen drinking wine earlier came flying around the corridor and fell right into him. They went over in a tangle of arms and legs, and Julian quickly righted himself before reaching a hand out to the girl, who was still lying there.

"Are you okay?" She finally stood up, wobbling as she did so, and dragged a hand over her mouth.

"I'm fine." Her words were slurred. _She's drunk,_ Julian realized. As if proving his point, she turned around to the nearest potted plant and puked into it, and then promptly passed out at his feet. Julian fought the urge to scream out loud. This was the last thing he needed. He just wanted to go to sleep, for god's sake.

"Um, can I help you?" The girl did not respond. He sighed, and waved a passing maid over. "Please take her to her room, and bring her something for a hangover in the morning." The maid curtsied and Julian walked away, wanting nothing more than to lie down. Unfortunately, before he could do so, he bumped into something that very nearly made him lose his dinner.


End file.
